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What's the point in having weekly performance on American Idol if a contestant can forget the lyrics and remain on the show?

That's the essential question posed by a recent article in The Los Angeles Times following this week's surprise elimination of Carly Smithson. It reads:

"It's hardly unusual, in the pop game, for image to trump musical talent â€" who can forget the scandal when plus-size Martha Wash was replaced by svelte models in the marketing campaigns for a string of 1990s dance club hits?

Tonight proved that we can no longer dream that American Idol rises above such gimmicks. At least Syesha Mercado survived, by a thread. But the loss of Carly not only robs this season of its best pure singer - it wipes unbridled passion and humanity from the stage...

Read the complete article now.

After Michael Johns was eliminated from American Idol a few weeks ago, we figured we couldn't be surprised again by any results.

Consider us mistaken.

Carly Smithson was voted off the show last night, despite the fact that fellow finalist Brooke White flat out forgot the lyrics to her song the evening before. Smithson was joined in the bottom two by Syesha Mercado.

We've been huge fans of White all season, but come on. She deserved to go. You simply cannot make the sort of blunder she did on such a big stage.

Moreover, Smithson's rendition of "Jesus Christ Superstar" on Tuesday night was lively and well done.

What do you think? Who deserved to go home this week on American Idol?

Only one American Idol contestant truly bombed on Andrew Lloyd Webber night - and even Brooke White recovered nicely after initially forgetting the lyrics on "You Must Love Me."

But the performances that stood out the most last night didn't belong to David Cook and David Archuleta for a change. We were most blown away by Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson.

Take a look at each right now, starting with Syesha:

And Carly:

Which American Idol performance was your favorite? Write in. Let us know. 

It took many weeks and many barbs from Simon Cowell, but Kristy Lee Cook was finally voted off American Idol last night.

Do you think viewers made the right choice in eliminating Cook at this point?

Joining Kristy Lee in the bottom three vote getters last night were Brooke White and Syesha Mercado. We'll see how they perform next week, but these two finalists would appear to be next in line for elimination.

With his ailing brother looking on from the front row, David Cook turned Mariah Carey night into a personal celebration last night. Perhaps even a coronation.

After delivering an incredible version of "Always Be My Baby," Cook soaked up the cheers, which included a rare standing ovation from Randy Jackson. As Ryan Seacrest then pointed out, the talented finalist had tears in his eyes - and who could blame him?

David's brother, Adam, was in attendance for the first time all season. Adam is currently undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

During a commercial break, David walked down to hug his brother in his seat. All three judges did the same.

"His brother came to town a few days ago, and he's not in the best of shape and you can tell it's affecting David and everything," says dancer Lacey Schwimmer, of So You Think You Can Dance, who has stepped out with David recently. "But I think it's a good thing that he's here because it shows that his brother is still supporting him."

Our thoughts, prayers - and congratulations on an amazing performance - go out to the Cook family.

Don't worry, ousted American Idol finalist Michael Johns isn't referring to national security or anything.

But while he seemed to be taking his shocking elimination in stride earlier today, Johns said it should serve as a warning to all the viewers who were just as surprised as he was when last night's results were revealed.

"Once again, it shows you no one's safe," he said. "The public can think week-to-week, 'Oh, they did a good performance. They're coming off a good two or three week run. They'll be through. I'm going to vote for someone else who maybe didn't have as good a night.' But you've just got to vote for your favorite."

Consider us flabbergasted by last night's American Idol results.

After Chris Daughtry was shockingly eliminated from the show two years ago - and Sabrina Bryan got an early exit last year on Dancing with the Stars - we thought we were immune to surprises from reality competitions.

We were wrong.

Michael Johns got the boot from Idol last night. He was joined in the bottom three by Carly Smithson and the contestant everyone assumed was headed home, Syesha Mercado. Here's a look at Johns singing his farewell song. We still can't believe it!

Do you think Michael Johns deserved to be eliminated?

There were numerous great, moving moments on Idol Gives Back last night. Performances by Carrie Underwood, Fergie, Mariah Carey and many others brought the crowd to its feet.

But we wanted to highlight the following clip because a) it featured the American Idol finalists and b) the song "Seasons of Love" was appropriate to sing on an evening that saw so much money donated to so many worthy causes.

Thanks to everyone that called in.

The theme on last night's American Idol was inspiration. Each finalist chose a tune that was meant to motivate themselves and/or the audience.

When the telecast was over, though, we were left more stunned than inspired. Neither David Cook, Michael Johns nor Brooke White received high marks from the judges... while Kristy Lee Cook basked in their praise. We didn't see that coming.

Take a look at each of the finalists from last night below - clicking on each picture for a larger version - and let us know who you think was the best:

We're just two hours away from American Idol on the East Coast, but here's a spoiler for those who cannot wait another second for information on tonight's show:

Check out the song list planned by each finalist for the evening of inspirational tunes ahead:

Syesha Mercado -- "I Believe" by Fantasia
David Cook - "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace
Carly Smithson -- "The Show Must Go On" by Queen
Brooke White -- "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor

Jason Castro -- "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland
Michael Johns -- "Dream On" by Aerosmith
Kristy Lee Cook -- "Anyway" by Martina McBride
David Archuleta -- "Angels" by Robbie Williams

Visit our site first thing tomorrow night for a full rundown on the performances. Enjoy the show!